As human bodies age with the lapse of time, pains occur without injuries or diseases. Injuries caused by partial atrophies of muscles restrict activities. In addition, a variety of diseases, such as brain damage, myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, and arthritis, are caused by restricted activities due to industrial and technological development, as well as traffic accidents, industrial disasters, sports injuries, and activity-involved simple disasters. Such diseases are also caused by a variety of complications due to stress, lack of exercise, obesity, etc.
In order to treat pains, damages, obesity, and the like occurring due to natural processes of humans or social and cultural problems as described above, not only medicines and health foods but also a variety of stimulating devices have been developed and are used. Such stimulating devices include a massaging device.
In general, a massaging device is a device to beat, rub, or stimulate the skin or the scalp in order to promote blood circulation, lipolysis, and waste discharge. Such a massaging device generates vibration or electric stimulation using electrical signals and applies generated vibration or electric stimulation to the skin or the scalp. For example, the massaging device is divided into a low-frequency massaging device that massages a human body by sending a low frequency current through the human body using electrodes attached to the skin, a supersonic massaging device that transmits ultrasonic waves to the human body using an ultrasonic probe contacting the surface of the skin, and a massaging device using an ultra-low frequency, far infrared (FIR) radiation, or the like.
However, currently-used technologies of stimulating human bodies using vibration include a large number of approaches that are currently applied and used. Examples thereof include a straight stimulus approach using a simple rotary vibration motor and a solenoid, a pressing method using air pressure, a stimulator inducing muscles to contract by inputting a low-frequency current thereto, a method of contracting muscles using a magnetic field, and the like. However, these approaches operate at a level in which pressure or stimulus is simply applied to human bodies, and the technological levels thereof are limited.
For example, referring to the structure and characteristics of a vibrator using a motor, it is possible to adjust the number of vibrations, but the amplitude or intensity of vibration cannot be adjusted. Thus, the vibrator may be erroneously used, causing injury to a human body. In addition, vibrations may not be rhythmically transmitted.
Recently, stimulation methods compensating for such problems by using a principle of audio speakers have been provided. However, such methods fail to realize a desired level of intensity that may be effectively felt, and merely provide a function similar to a subwoofer in a speaker system.
In addition, an approach using a low-frequency current, an approach using ultrasonic waves, an approach using high frequencies, and the like have been disclosed and used. However, the low-frequency approach may cause significant inconvenience to users, and in the case of the ultrasonic approach, a user may not readily feel an effect. In addition, since affected parts are exposed, a medium for transmitting low-frequency or ultrasonic vibration is required, which is a critical problem in use.
High frequency devices are directed to generating deep heat rather than functioning as stimulation devices. In addition, users may be subjected to a danger considering the characteristics of high frequencies. In the case of high-frequency devices, affected parts need to be exposed, and a medium is required. In addition, conducting plates used for transmitting electricity to opposite poles may be dangerous, and significant inconvenience in use is caused.
Low-frequency treatment devices repeatedly apply a pulse of low-frequency current to the skin. Thus, patients have an uncomfortable feeling of being electrically shocked while being treated, whereby the effect of treatment is reduced, which his problematic. In addition, low-frequency treatment devices required affected parts to be exposed in order to attach electrodes to the skin. Thus, female patients evade such treatment.
In addition, ultrasonic treatment and beauty devices transmit ultrasonic vibration to the skin when a skin contact area of an ultrasonic probe makes contact with the skin. However, there are a variety of problems. For example, when the probe contacts the skin in an erroneous way, ultrasonic vibration is not transmitted, and a sufficient effect cannot be obtained. Since a certain level of ultrasonic vibration set by a user is emitted regardless of whether or not the probe contacts the skin, when the probe does not contact the skin, the portion of the probe that transmits vibration is heated due to vibration. When the temperature of this portion of the probe rises, the user may feel uncomfortable. When the device is used for a long period of time, the skin may be burned.
Furthermore, a variety of approaches able to realize a variety of skin care modes using a vibrator vibrating in the vertical direction using a magnetic coil and to provide galvanic massages and iontophoretic massages using the vibrator are disclosed.
However, such approaches of the related art are directed to stimulating the skin by converting the rotating force of a vibration motor into a linear motion or a cam motion. Thus, noises occur while the driving force of the vibration motor is being transmitted, thereby causing discomfort the users of beauty devices. Since vibration is caused by eccentricity, there is a significant amount of diverging force in the horizontal direction, i.e. the direction parallel to the surface of the skin. This reduces an amount of force acting to the surface of the skin in the perpendicular direction. Consequently, massaging is not effectively performed, which is problematic.
In addition, an apparatus of generating sound waves and a device able to generate a sound source based on the principle of an audio speaker have been developed. However, due to certain problems, such as the structural characteristics of a magnetic circuit and the positions of a leaf spring and a coil, the amplitude of frequencies generated thereby is limited, and the intensity thereof is very low. In addition, since a guide using a bearing for maintaining acoustic vibration in a vertical form as well as a coil spring for maintaining elasticity is required, it is difficult to reduce the size thereof.
Furthermore, it is difficult to effectively care for human bodies using the related-art approaches, since the modes of use and functions thereof are significantly limited. According to the related-art approaches, a user must keep pressing a vibrator against his or her body in order to provide stimulation. Consequently, the user may quickly become tired, which is problematic.